On this episode of Colorist Podcast, I have a conversation with Ayumi Ashley. She is the co-founder of Mission Film and Design (MFDSF) in San Francisco, California. It's a boutique color, sound, and VFX facility, focusing mainly on commercials, music videos, and short films. She has completed work for North Face, Skyy Vodka, and Ben & Jerry's. Additionally, Silicon Valley clients like Adobe, Pinterest, and Square have also finished their work with her.

Ayumi started working as a freelance colorist while still attending college. Apple Color and the reduced price of DaVinci Resolve helped her hone her skills and enter the ranks of working colorists quickly. The combination of affordable grading platforms, higher demand for colorists, and minimal competition in her area, helped her and founding partner Matt Notaro start and run her own finishing company.

In this interview, we talk about:

• How she got started as a colorist • Why the 5D mk ii had such a profound impact in her market • The low cost of entry for color tools: is it a good thing? • Working in San Francisco and why there aren't many colorists there • Helping clients understand why they need a colorist • Running a facility and prioritizing the budget accordingly • Making her clients feel pampered and comfortable • Listening and performing live for your clients • How she uses remote reviews with Frame IO • Handing off her work to other colorists • Using Full DaVinci panels verses using the Tangent Element • How to draw on inspiration when your sessions are only three hours long • Working with software other than DaVinci Resolve

Mission Film and Design http://mfdsf.com/

Personal Page http://www.ayumiashley.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/ayumash

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aayummy/

This episode is sponsored by mixinglight.com. Use the coupon code josh10 for 15% off your first quarterly term or josh40 for 15% your first annual term.

Rob Bessette joins me on this episode of the Colorist Podcast. Rob is a senior colorist at Finish Boston and specializes in coloring commercials. With over 11 years of experience, Rob has had the opportunity to color spots for Toyota, Coca Cola, Sam Adams, Subway, Chili’s, Dunkin’ Doughnuts, and many others.

Rob became a colorist though a more traditional path. He worked his way up from the ground level while working at night, and then mentored with a seasoned colorist. For several years, he had the opportunity to learn telecine and graded a lot of film.

I first met Rob while he was working the Blackmagic Design booth at NAB. He had the experience of hearing people’s opinions from all over the world while demoing the latest software that he had to learn at a breakneck pace.

We talk about:

What drew him to working in commercials

How working with great directors and directors of photography shapes the way he grades

Strategies for working with food that will make you hungry

Opinions on working with the full panels and what he would change about them

Strategies for creating a great demo reel

How he uses social media for marketing and networking

Working the Blackmagic booth at NAB and learning the software in one day

Why the inexpensive price of entry for color grading is good for the industry

In this episode, I talk with Terence Curren, a Colorist and Online Editor in Los Angeles. He’s known for unscripted television shows like Project Runway, True Life, Ghost Hunters, and many others.

He got his start at the well known post facility, Matchframe Video, as employee number one. At Matchframe, he was one of the first editors in LA to work with Avid Media Composer, Symphony, and DS. And to this day, he still colors and finishes his shows on a Symphony.

In 2002, after 16 years at Matchframe, he moved on to starting his own company, Alphadogs. Many LA post production professionals are familiar with Alphadogs from their monthly meet ups called The Editor’s Lounge. It’s been a hub for people to learn about new technologies, directly ask vendors questions, and socialize with other pros. It’s been a great resource for over 13 years and I’ve personally learned a ton from attending them.

In this interview, we talk about:

How his start in editing affects his approach to color

Running his own business from a colorist’s perspective

The commoditization of post production gear and how it changed the business

In this episode, I talk with Mark Todd Osborne, a colorist in Los Angeles with over 18 years of experience. He has worked on films like Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Bad Boys II, Hugo, Need for Speed, as well as many commercials and music videos.

Mark got his start at Company 3 and spent 11 years there working with top colorists Stefan Sonnefeld, Dave Hussey, and Mike Pethel.

He also spent some time at Cameron | Pace, working on stereoscopic projects on Quantel Pablo.

What’s most impressive about Mark’s career is ability to work in many different genres. Working in commercials, television, cinema, music videos, and even video games has been part of his successful career.

In this episode of the Colorist Podcast, I talk with Gray Marshall, Associate Finishing Artist at Technicolor in Los Angeles. At Technicolor, Gray has worked on the films Bridge of Spies, The Revenant, Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man, and many others.

But before making his way into color, Gray worked in many other parts of the industry. His roots were in the camera department of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and later went on to being a VFX supervisor and owning his own company, Gray Matter Post. Gray is probably best known for epic VFX shots like the building collapse at the end of Fight Club. Working in all these different departments has given him a unique perspective on the industry.

On this episode of The Colorist Podcast, I talk with Kevin Shaw, CSI. Kevin is the Senior Colorist at Final Frame, London and a 30 year veteran of the industry. His commercial credits include work for IKEA, Jaguar and Levis, as well as the movies “Monsters” and “Streetdance 3D.” In addition to his work as a colorist, Kevin is a founding member of the Colorist Society International, as well as a trainer for ICA.

We discuss some misconceptions about HDR and grading, doing VFX in the color bay, and why the Colorist Society was formed.

Joining me on the first episode of The Colorist Podcast is Lynette Dunsing. Lynette is the senior colorist at Cinelicious where she colors everything from commercials to documentaries. She has worked in numerous locations: Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and China. She has colored music videos for Nirvana and Metallica and television shows like Star Trek and Law and Order. We talk about where the industry has been and is going, the business of being a colorist, and how coloring is different is other countries.